


Bloodless

by maddierose



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, Bounty Hunters, F/M, Father Figures, Force Sensitivity, The Dark Side of the Force, Uneasy Allies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24207772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddierose/pseuds/maddierose
Summary: Merrill and Toro Calican are upstart bounty hunters who think they've hit the big time when they join forces with a lone Mandalorian. Toro seeks fame, while Merrill flees a darkness. But there's no escaping who her father is, and what he wanted her to become. As the puzzle of a jaw-dropping bounty comes together, Merrill realises her past is about to catch up with her.
Relationships: Toro Calican/Original Female Character
Kudos: 2





	Bloodless

_ 6ABY _

Merrill’s fingers trembled as they tightened around the glass of alcohol that had been placed on the counter in front of her. Her heart was still hammering in her chest. Her posture might be relaxed, but her eyes scanned the bar, counting the exits and calculating the distance to them. The bar wasn’t the most luxurious establishment she’d ever been in, but she liked to consider herself safe in the Mid Rim. She didn’t need the glitz and glamour. She’d come from wealth, and knew precisely what blood money could buy. She didn’t need any of it.

None of these people knew who she was. None of them knew why she was here. None of them knew what she was capable of. It was best that way. Merrill took a sip of her drink. The alcohol burned down her throat, but it also relaxed her nerves as she waited for her contact to make his appearance. She didn’t know what she was looking for, although she had the sense she would know once he arrived.

Merrill knew she could never escape, truly get off the grid, without help. Although she had been reluctant to seek that help, although it had come at a price, she was willing to do whatever it took to disappear. The Mid Rim was just a stopping point, the place between her previous life and whatever was coming next, whatever anonymity bought her.

“Can I buy you a drink?” It was a guy around her age, leaning against the bar beside her. He had dark eyes, dark hair and an easy smile. More like a smirk. He seemed to be alone, nothing more than a bold boy with a forward nature.

Merrill responded by holding up the glass she’d barely taken a sip from, unsmiling. She didn’t need charity, and she certainly wasn’t looking to occupy some upstart’s bed tonight. This was a place where criminals did their business, which was precisely the reason that Merrill had come. As her eyes did another rake of the bar, she spotted who she was looking for, setting her glass down with a thud and walking over.

Merrill’s contact was a man in his mid-twenties. She knew little about him other than his name, which he claimed was Rune Vizsla. She sat opposite him and watched as he started a game of holochess. He was fair-haired and good-looking, dressed well. Clearly a criminal who made good money, then. When his eyes flicked up to peer at her under his lashes, his gaze was icy blue.

“Where is it?” Rune didn’t look up from the board as he made his first move. Only once he was done did he lean back, crossing one leg over the other and arching an eyebrow as he took a sip of his bright blue beverage. She knew precisely what he was referring to, and knew the fact that she’d shown up empty-handed would have consequences.

“I don’t have it,” Merrill murmured, assessing his move before making her own. She and her father had played holochess often when she had been a child. It was a game of strategy. Merrill had never beaten her father. She wondered if she could beat Rune.

“That was part of the deal.” Rune’s tone never changed as he watched his next piece cross the board. He clasped his hands, and Merrill swallowed hard. She knew that she was considerably out of her depth dealing with a man like Rune, but it wasn’t her own safety she was afraid for. She hadn’t been scared for herself since she’d been a child.

“I barely got away myself.” Merrill clenched her hands into fists, watching in silence as their pieces battled for dominance on the board. When she next spoke, the word was sharp and satisfied. “Check.”

“Then why come at all?” Rune’s stare sent cold chills down Merrill’s spine. There was only an air of calm about him, despite the fact that she had turned up without what she’d promised. She had been expecting irritation, but his expression never changed. It was unnerving, and made her shift uncomfortably in her plush seat.

“I have money.”

Rune shook his head. “What I asked for is worth more than credits.”

“Checkmate.” Merrill pushed herself to her feet as the game of holochess was finished, quickly and brutally. A nerve twitched in Rune’s jaw as he observed her victory. “Is the deal on or off?”

“I need to make a call.” Rune got up as well. His eyes raked over her. There was nothing lecherous about his look, merely calculation. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a few minutes with an answer.”

Merrill felt a sense of disappointment rise as she watched Rune saunter off, disappearing into the shadows at the edges of the bar. There was something else as well, a foreboding that made her go icy all over. She rubbed her arms to ward off the feeling, although she knew it wasn’t just a feeling. It was almost a premonition.

The dark-haired boy from the bar approached, and she had half a mind to snap at him, before he spoke first.

“That man you were talking to? He’s planning on returning you home, whatever that might mean to you.”

“What?” Merrill sucked in her breath. The cold went away in an instant, replaced by a hot fury. So instead of breaking off the deal, Rune had chosen to betray her. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she had expected better. 

“Toro Calican.” He grinned, offering his hand for her to shake. He thought he was a bad boy. He thought he was dangerous. Merrill could have killed him without lifting a finger, but the false bravado, she could use. “I get the feeling you’re in some hot water. Wanna get out of here before that guy comes back?”

“Yeah.” Merrill did not trust this boy, but Toro had no reason to lie to her about Rune - or did he? She didn’t know what to expect in a place where everyone was only in it for themselves. She thought perhaps she was safer with Toro than Rune at this particular point in time, and she followed him out of the bar without a backwards glance.

Outside of the bar, the air was warm as it caressed Merrill’s skin. Toro took her hand, but she wrenched it from his grasp. He was helping her, yet there would be no funny business.

“I’ve got a pod parked near here.” Toro’s brown eyes assessed her. She thought he was weighing her up, seeing if she was worth the potential trouble. “I’ll go get it, and then we can head to my ship.”

Half an hour ago, Merrill wouldn’t have gone anywhere with Toro. Now she was tossing up her options. She could accompany this stranger, who was probably no more danger to her than a baby bantha, or she could take her chances and risk finding another way to escape, knowing that Rune had contacted her father.  _ That piece of shit. _

“Alright.” Merrill didn’t know how she felt about waiting on her own. Toro could well go and backstab her as well. What choice did she really have? She watched as he headed down an alleyway. She allowed herself to take in her surroundings, this Mid-Rim planet she couldn’t even remember the name of, a place so nondescript and yet teeming with activity. 

“Stop right there.” Merrill whirled around to see that Rune had a blaster pointed in her direction. She held her hands up in surrender, rage flaring as she realised that Toro had been right - Rune had sold her out.

“We had a  _ fucking _ deal!” Merrill snapped, beyond pissed that this guy hadn’t even blinked as he’d decided to turn her in.

“A deal you broke when you showed up here empty-handed and expected passage.” Rune’s eyes narrowed. He marched over to her and her entire body tensed. She wasn’t going back, no matter what it took. If it came to violence then it would be regrettable - especially since she knew he didn’t stand a chance.

“Please don’t do this.” Merrill shook her head vehemently. “Let me go.”

Rune ignored her, spinning her around so that her back was to his chest. He pressed the cold nozzle of the gun against her temple, his free hand sweeping over her to make sure that she was unarmed. He removed the vibroblade from her boot and the blaster from her belt. Merrill was shaking violently. When Rune roughly whirled her around again, she lashed out.

Merrill punched him in the face, the force enough to make Rune stagger. His eyes widened in surprise, and that was when the coldness left him and she saw rage. When he lunged at her, he stopped and pressed his hands to his throat, choking. His mouth opened and closed again. She didn’t want to do this, but what choice did she have? She couldn’t let him bring her back home, not when she’d worked so hard to leave.

Tears of despair streamed down Merrill’s cheeks as her fingers clenched tighter. She hated herself for doing this. She had promised herself she was done using the Force to hurt people, but it was a promise she’d already broken. Her shoulders shook with sobs as Rune gave a ragged gasp and continued to claw at his neck. 

Merrill’s anger dwindled and she released Rune, watching as he fell to his knees and coughed violently. She took a few stumbling steps backwards, disgusted at what she’d done. She quickly swiped away her tears. She wasn’t going to cry over this, over him. He was alive, that was what mattered. She had managed to buy herself some time.

_ You don’t need a weapon. You ARE the weapon. _

No, she wasn’t. Not anymore. Merrill had put that life behind her. She was choosing to unmake the monster that had been created. She was going to be a better person. She wasn’t going to embrace the dark side of the Force. She was no longer a creature of pain, a death knell closing in on her father’s enemies.

Someone grabbed her arm and she flinched, but it was only Toro. He examined Rune curiously, before raising his eyebrows and nodding, apparently impressed. No doubt he thought she’d sucker-punched him, instead of what she actually  _ had  _ done. SHe supposed she should be grateful that Toro didn’t second guess it.

“Come on.” Toro tilted his head to indicate his red pod. “Let’s get out of here.”

Merrill spared Rune a glance over her shoulder as she climbed onto the back of Toro’s pod, and immediately wished she hadn’t. It was the way Rune looked at her, the awe, as though he had suddenly realised she was worth more than the weapon she had promised. She wished she had seen anger or hatred there, because the savage delight in his pale blue eyes was even more terrible.

Merrill’s arms tightened around Toro’s waist as he kicked off on the accelerator and sped away. She knew the boy had probably only helped her due to his own interest, but that was the best she had right now. She remained silent as they raced down toward the shipping dock. She hadn’t known if Toro was lying about having a ship, but she probably shouldn’t be astounded that someone her age had a ship earned on his own merit. Not everyone was from privilege like her.

“I just realised I never asked your name,” Toro said as he climbed off the speeder. She swept a hand through her errant dark curls, casting around the dock and trying to pick which of the ships was Toro’s. If she concentrated hard enough, she could probably hazard a guess. 

“It’s Merrill.” She didn’t give her last name, and to her relief, Toro didn’t ask. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she would if she had to.

If he knew she was Moff Gideon’s daughter, she would never be safe again.


End file.
